Historic Keith House in West Bridgewater needs $15K in roof repairs

Tuesday

The West Bridgewater house dates to 1662, and is one of the oldest parsonages in the country.

The Old Bridgewater Historical Society needs to raise $15,000 to repair the roof of the Keith House, or expose the historic landmark to damage from winter storms, town officials said.

The Keith House at 233 River St., built in 1662, is one of the nation's oldest standing parsonages and was home to the Rev. James Keith.

Hailing from Scotland and recommended by the Rev. Increase Mather, Keith was the first settled pastor in Old Bridgewater, from 1664 to 1719, and his succession continues today to First Church of West Bridgewater minister, the Rev. Carol Ashton.

According to First Church, Keith preached his first sermon from Pulpit Rock and said, "Behold, I cannot speak for I am a child," quoting scripture.

"The sovereignty of God, the authority of the Word of God in the Bible, the depravity of man, salvation by grace and not works, the saved as the chosen people, and the predestination of everyone were undoubtedly the themes of Rev. Keith's preaching in those early years," according to a history prepared by First Church called "350 Years: The First Church of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts."

The Keith House, now owned and operated by the historical society, was a front line during King Philip's War in 1676, when there were only 64 men age 19 or older in West Bridgewater, according to First Church.

During the war, King Philip incited Wampanoags to attack colonist outposts in Rehoboth and Rochester, prompting settlers to fortify Keith's house and turn the town pound at War Memorial Park into a prisoner of war camp, said regional historian Gerald Beals.

But after King Philip was killed, Keith sheltered Philip's wife, Woolonekamuske, and son, Boy Philip, after their capture, Beals said.

"People were disgusted with Rev. Keith and calling for the removal of the couple into slavery or the complete annihilation of them," he said.

In 1676, Keith persuaded colonial authorities to spare the mother and son, according to a First Church history.

"Keith was extremely generous to them. This is where he really starts to shine as a legendary, but forgotten, American hero," Beals said.

"We don't really tell the story. No wonder no one knows about it. No wonder it's forgotten," he said.

According to written accounts cited by the historical society, Keith shipped the woman and her son to Bermuda to be sold into slavery and help defray the costs of the war.

But Wampanoag oral history claims Keith secretly boarded them in Barnstable, where they sailed to Nova Scotia and freedom, according to the historical society.

"The Keith House is one of our most historically significant structures in town, not just in West Bridgewater, but for the whole region," said Selectman Jerry Lawrence, who is also a First Church parishioner.

"We have some rotted rafters and we have a bad roof. We need to raise funds to repair the roof, hopefully before the winter," said Diana Lothrop, chairman of the historical society's fundraising committee.

To donate, make a check payable to the Old Bridgewater Historical Society, with Keith House in the memo, and mail it to: Old Bridgewater Historical Society; PO Box 17; West Bridgewater, MA 02379.

For more information, call the historical society at 508-559-1510.

Lawrence said if West Bridgewater approves the Community Preservation Act at the town election in April, proceeds from a 1 percent property tax surcharge and state matching funds could be used for historic preservation projects such as the Keith House roof repair.

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